The ever popular Petunia.

Poetry, music, paintings even architecture declares no life can be successfully happy without a garden or at least a plant to care for. Plants and flowers, a garden might not be paradise but very near to it. Ts

Most varieties prefer full sun, here in the sub-tropics they do best  growing and flowering from early autumn over winter into spring, as heat can stop Petunias from setting flowers. 

Repeat blooming  throughout the growing period, some need  deadheading and later pruning back to get another flush of flowers.  Many will reseed generally in some pots standing nearby.

Although petunias like cool weather, they are not frost tolerant.

When planting, pinch the seedling back to encourage more branching and a fuller plant. If the seedling has gotten gangly, you can pinch back by half.

Petunias will tolerate a range of soil pH. They don’t like to be dry for long periods, but they also don’t like wet feet.

Older varieties of petunias require diligent deadheading or they will stop blooming. 

Even the newer varieties that say they don’t require deadheading will benefit from a pinching or shearing mid-season. When the branches start to get long and you can see where all the previous flowers were along the stem, it’s time to cut them back and refresh the plant.

Monthly feeding or foliage feeding will give your petunias the energy to stay in bloom. But be judicious with water and make sure the soil is well drained. Too much water will cause the plants to become ‘leggy’, with lots of stem and few flowers.

Petunias are usually carefree growers.

Because of their profuse blooms, petunias are excellent in hanging baskets, either alone or as a trailing plant in a mixed planting. Containers of petunias can be placed in strategic areas of the garden, to add color where needed.

Suggested Varieties: New petunia varieties come out every year, making older varieties obsolete, but hear are some particular nice ones.
’Blue Spark’ Cascadia - Trailing violet flowers with a sweet scent.
‘Supertunia Silver’ - White with lavender throat and veins. Good weather tolerance and very floriferous.
‘Prism Sunshine’  buttery yellow grandiflora sized flowers with multiflora weather tolerance. Can be grown from seed.  

 Gardens and flowers belong together, they are kin from all beginnings. Ts

Believe it or not:

“Gardens and chocolate both have mystical qualities.”
Edward Flaherty

©Photos my garden/Text and quotes Ts Lavender & Vanilla